Cress (Lunar Chronicles, #3)

by Marissa Meyer

Frostbite Studios (Illustrator)

Incarcerated in a satellite, an expert hacker and out to save the world - Cress isn't your usual damsel in distress. 

CRESS grew-up as a prisoner. With only netscreens for company she's forced to do the bidding of the evil Queen Levana. Now that means tracking down Cinder and her handsome accomplice Emperor Kai. But little does Levana know that those she seeks, and the man she loves, are plotting her downfall . . .

As paths cross and the price of freedom rises, happily ever after has never seemed further away for Cress, Scarlet and Cinder.

This is not the fairy tale you remember. But it's one you won't forget.

• Publish Date: March 2023 (first published 1 February 2014)
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Puffin
• Edition: FairyLoot Exclusive
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 560
• Language: English
• Special: Exclusive Design Signed Sprayed Edges

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I've been pleasantly surprised by The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I devoured Cinder shortly before Scarlet came out and once Scarlet was available at my library, I inhaled it and waited somewhat impatiently for the release of Cress. What's funny is once I purchased a physical copy of Cress with some gift cards I received for Christmas 2013, it languished on my book shelf for SEVEN months. Well, after finishing Rose Under Fire, I was looking for a new book to listen to on my drives to work. I found that Cress was available via Overdrive at my library and immediately snatched it up.

I often find that the middle books in a series can be disappointing. The characters kind of wander about looking for something to happen or the storylines seem jumbled or unclear—there's no clear focus for the plot or characters. None of that occurred in Cress. The book was a heart stopper from the get go. I was immediately pulled in and would listen to the book early in the morning while waiting for my alarm to go off. The narration was stunning. I found myself wondering what would happen next. Would Cinder save Kai? Would Cress hook up with Thorne? What was to become of Scarlet? It left my mind reeling! And makes me very excited for the release of Fairest (currently on the hold list at the library) and Winter in November.

While I have championed Cinder and Scarlet over the last year or so, Thorne and Wolf really grew on me in Cress. They showed their strengths and wore their hearts on their sleeves. It made me admire them and grow to love them. These men have become well-rounded, three-dimensional characters who now have something at stake. It was really quite unexpected and got me choked up a few times!



If you couldn't tell, I'm giving Cress a thumbs up. Let not the fear of middle book syndrome get you down, Cress delivers girls kicking ass and guys with heart while propelling the revolution against Luna to what I can only assuming will be an amazing conclusion!



This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.

[Nessa Luna]

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

Oh wow, wow wow wow wow. I just LOVED this book! The Lunar Chronicles really are one of my favourite book series at the moment, each book was a bit better than it’s predecessor (in my opinion). Though I would still love a story based on Sleeping Beauty (which is my favourite Disney movie), I loved all the fairy tales these books were based on (Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel).

I just love Marissa Meyer’s writing. She can just get me to read on and on and forget the time. It actually made me go to bed too late several times and I think I actually even had a dream about TLC that night.

As the title says, this book focuses mainly on Cress, or Crescent, who’s based on Rapunzel. Cress has been stuck in her satellite for seven years now, with only ‘Little Cress’ as her companion. But then she gets the chance to be rescued. And she takes it.

There weren’t many new ‘main’ characters in this book, apart from Cress. But we’d already kinda met her in Cinder. There was Sybil Mira’s guard, that we got to know a bit better, and near the end of the book we met the main character for the next and (as far as I know) last book in the series, Winter, who is Queen Levana’s stepdaughter and based on Snow White.

Out of all the characters in this book, I think I liked Cress the most. She was just so adorable, and I kind of expected her to sing ‘When Will My Life Begin’ (or actually the reprise) when she finally left the satellite. I also liked Iko a lot, but I already loved her from the previous books, and in this book she did some things that made me love her even more!

This book made me ship all the ships, honestly. I loved reading about all of them, and I don’t have that often. There was one pairing that actually made me feel really happy and fangirlish while reading/thinking about it. I am going to share one quote that I just loved to bits. It might be a tiny bit spoilerish (although this pairing was already kinda together in Scarlet).

“This Scarlet, you’re in love with her, aren’t you?” “She’s my Alpha.”

And I just awwwwwwwwwwww-ed so hard, you wouldn’t believe it. Then Cress thought he was talking about the brightest star in the constellation and that was an even better explanation than what Wolf actually meant.

There was only one thing that I didn’t like, and it’s the same as the previous two, the multiple POV’s. It didn’t really bother me too much, but I am still not really a fan of it. Most POV changes happened between chapters, but sometimes it would switch to a different person in the same chapter. There were these little pictures to indicate the change of a POV though, and that made it alright.

Apart from that, there was nothing really I didn’t like about this book. Apart from the fact that it sometimes made me feel sad. And that it kept me up until deep in the night sometimes.

I just love the Lunar Chronicles so much, and I can’t wait to get my hands on Winter! And honestly, I know that a lot (too many perhaps) of YA books are currently being made into movies, but I would LOVE for this series to be made into a movie series (or perhaps a TV series?!).

[inlibrisveritas]

4.5 Stars

Why did I take so long to read this!? Gah, I did this with Scarlet and I have had this since it came out so there is no excuse! Nevertheless I'm so happy I finally got around to reading it1

This books brings a new character into the mix, Crescent or Cress for short. I love her! She's a hacker who lives in a tiny satellite and works for the Lunar Crown.She has had more than enough time to learn about Cinder and her crew, and more than a enough time to dream about her life. I love that Cress is oddly optimistic about things due to her confinement, and she holds a sense of innocence and niavity about her that was endearing and never frustrating. I also love that Meyer doesn't let her have the dream she painted while a lone, but instead fleshes everything out and shows the reality. It really left a lot of room for Cress (and others) to grow as characters. Thorne is hilarious and I'm so glad we go to see more of him. His witty come backs and one liners were also there to deliver a little lightheartedness to an otherwise dire and serious situation. Iko and Thorne had me giggling nearly everything they showed up.

The story is fast paced and full of new info and action.Meyer deftly fleshes out characters and bonds all the while advancing her overall plot in a believable and gripping way. I can't really say what's going on without having spoilers, but I'm definitely glad to see that everything is building up to a head now and I can't wait to see more of Winter in book four. We get to see a bit of her in this one and it seems like her point of view is going to be really different.

[leahrosereads]

4.5 Stars

Hello Bandwagon, Leah here. I’m jumping on, please slow down. Kkthx.


Seriously though, the books in the Lunar Chronicles have progressively gotten better. I absolutely loved Cress, and I honestly wish I had heard of this series when it first came out, because I feel that I’ve missed years of re-readability by coming into it this late. I mean, I only have Winter left, so what I get one re-read before it comes out in 2015...that’s just not fair!

Anyway, onto the review:

In Cress, we are introduced to the title character, who is our official Rapunzel of this fairy tale retelling. Cress has been isolated on a satellite orbiting Earth and is a Lunar shell. So, you know if you’ve read the first two novels, she’s not that well liked, respected or cared about. However, she’s also the Lunar Queen’s go-to techie. Cress has some mad hacker skills. And with her techie skills, she’s also keeping her eyes on Cinder.

When Cinder contacts Cress, her group decides to rescue our Rapunzel-esque damsel in distress, and because nothing ever goes smoothly in these books, you know - disaster on this rescue is bound to occur. And it did.

The team loses members and we read different stories for really the good first ½ to three-thirds of the book. The viewpoints are - Cinder, Iko and Wolf together with a new (bad-ish guy), Cress and Thorne, and poor Scarlet by her lonesome...well, with a thaumaturge, so you know her life isn’t going to be easy for the time being.

I really don’t want to say too much, because I’m not really sure how to review this without possibly giving spoilers from the first two books, so I’ll just give what I can.


Lots of shit hits a lot of different fans in Cress. Queen Levana is still a sadistic, manipulative, bitch. Cinder is still working on learning how to use her Luna gifts and dealing with her fears. Scarlet is gone, so Wolf is a lost little puppy. Thorne is still a flirt. Cress has been on her own for too long if she thinks being a damsel in distress is a good thing, and Kai is still an admirable, upstanding fool.

I definitely recommend this series, it’s been a helluva fun ride so far, and I cannot wait for Winter out in 2015. It’s all ending then, and I cannot wait til Cinder and Levana finally meet up. Levana is going to get her ass whooped (I hope)!

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Finally, I read Cress, and it was everything I had hoped it would be! Not to cheap out in review format as it was one hell of a ride, but my internet service is a little slow thus I shall lighten my cursing at an inanimate object and top thirteen it instead.

I loved the return of all the characters in the Lunar Chronicles and thought the beginning had a “Star Wars” vibe to it with Cress’ message being reminiscent of Princess Leia’s “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi you’re my only hope.”
Cress’ daddy issues were meh, predictable and corny but still worked well in the plot.
Cress is the kind of girl who could do it in heels and better than Throne.
Throne comes down from his high horse and becomes an actual person. It is amazing what a little dependence will do to a person.
Even though it is part of the original fairy tale I liked the nature of which Throne became blind and it allows Cress to come into her own.
Cinder is as badass as ever and becomes smarter with each book/
Kai is a lame duck who needs Dick Cheney to guide him. I almost feel sorry for the Commonwealth and wonder what Cinder sees in him.
I thought the development between Scarlet and Wolf was great and enjoyed seeing the growth of themselves independently and their romance blossoming.
Levana, if possible, is even more of a tyrant and a character I love to hate.
Sybil is blinded by power and is truthfully similar to a thaumaturge only better dressed.
I liked Meyer’s take on human or Shell trafficking. I thought it was original and added flare rather than just a kidnapping.
We get a sneak peek at Winter (aka Snow White) my favorite fairy tale, and Disney Princess too.
Cliffhanger ending:

"You said yourself that the people of Luna need a revolutionary. She lifted her chin, holding his gaze. So I'm going to start a revolution."

[Berls]

My Initial Reaction...

OMG Why isn't Winter out already?!? Cress was incredible and I'm dying for the next book!

The Narration...

Rebecca Soler is a narrator I wouldn't think twice about listening to again. She's done a fantastic job with this series and Cress is no different. The characters are really growing - and that means more accents and personalities. Rebecca doesn't miss a beat! Each character's voice comes across with a unique personality. I listened to Cress at 3x speed and it still sounded great.

Note:Expect some series spoilers.

The Characters...

Before reading Cress I had been warned that I may not like her for the first half or so of the book. Personally, though, I LOVED Cress from the get go. She's wacky - but in a way that's makes perfect sense. The girls been locked up in a SATELLITE for 7 years! If she weren't a little nutty, I think I wouldn't have believed it. She's created this computer friend - little Cress (because it has her younger voice) - and they play games together. She works out and watches the human news reports. And she's obsessed with Captain Thorne. Let's just say, in this fairy tale re-do she is Rapunzel and Captain Thorne is her Prince.

I loved Captain Thorne in Cress. He's so cocky, but rather than being annoying, it's hilarious. And then he's also a messed up kind of chivalrous. In that he's a disaster - but he's got great intentions. The other characters continued to develop - though we really saw very little of Scarlet and Wolf to my dismay. Iko developed so much in Cress and I loved every minute with her. She's got such a great personality, I really have a hard time remembering that she's not actually human. She's increasingly more integral to the team and is doing things I wouldn't have dreamed she'd do way back in Cinder.

We also finally met Winter in Cress. I'm so excited to get to know her better in Winter because she is UNIQUE. If you think Cress sounds weird, just wait. Winter is off her rocker! But the reason - no I'm not going to tell you why. Read it! - tells you so much about her. She's a GOOD person. She's got a good heart and I can't wait to see what she does in her book.

The Story...

Like the other books, Cress is loosely connected to a fairy tale - this time Rapunzel. Marissa Meyer amazes me with the way she's able to take a few pivotal details from a fairy tale and reshape it to a whole new story. Especially connecting so many disparate fairy tales into one much larger story. And this master story is GOOD! Cinder's crew decided to contact Cress right at the start of the book and when they find out she's being held prisoner, they decide to go rescue her. You can just imagine all the ways that could and did go wrong.

And then there's also Cinder's plans to take care of Queen Levana - especially since Kai announced his engagement to Levana in Scarlet. Those plans get exciting and action ensues. It was so exciting to see the plans come together, along with all the unexpected twists and turns Marissa Meyer threw in.

Concluding Sentiments...

Cress was a great combination of humor, twists and turns, not to mention action packed. I can't wait for the conclusion to this great series.

[catiebug]

What?! That ending. I need Winter now!

[girlinthepages]

Cress is the most action-packed installment of the Lunar Chronicles so far. Now following the stories of three fairy-tale inspired heroines and their love interests, Marissa Meyer does an excellent job weaving together all three stories to form a cohesive, refreshing third person narrative that explores new Earthen regions, delves further into the mysterious Luna, tackles tragedy, and provides great character development for the whole cast.

Meyer has done a fantastic job in the series creating distinct identities for each fairy tale heroine, crafting their well-known literary back stories with her own interpretation of their personalities. Cress is an idealistic dreamer/genius computer hacker that’s suffered social isolation for close to a decade, yet she tries to see the good in people. Cress’ innocence and quirky personality balance out the sassy and outspoken Scarlet and the contemplative and hardworking Cinder. Cress also serves as a catalyst for the character development of Captain Thorne, and it was really fun to see him grow as a character.

Speaking of character development, I love how Cinder has accepted the use of her Lunar gift, and has become more confident in synthesizing her identities and responsibilities as Princess Selene and Cinder the mechanic. It’s refreshing to see Cinder hold her own against Levana’s minions and to see her battle with what she deems moral and amoral uses of her gift. There was a point at the end of the book where she uses her gift to make a dire threat to Kai and I found myself internally cheering because it’s about time that she take control. I was also cheering about the fact that we get to see a lot more (literally!) of Iko in this book, and I absolutely adore her as a character!

I was also really interested that Meyer addressed some rather serious issues in Cress. Human trafficking is introduced as an underlying problem on Earth as Lunar shells are trafficked as slaves and servants. The idea of a human slave trade in the world of the Lunar Chronicles is fascinating as it’s a very real and often ignored problem in our own society, so I appreciate Meyer acknowledging it in her series. Meyer also introduces mental illness toward the end of the book, as a side effect of Lunars’ neglecting to use their power, which adds a complex layer to the argument that Lunars-shouldn’t-use-their-powers-because-it’s-unfair-and-unnatural that is held by many humans in the series.

Favorite Characters:

Wolf- I just love his character as he battles his human instincts over his animalistic ones. It’s so interesting to read and I love his relationship with Scarlet, and his commitment to her. It was also interesting to read Cress’ perspective of him as terrifying since she knows him in a very different context- the benefits of third person narration!

Iko- She provides much needed comic relief, and she proves to be one of the most loyal characters in the books despite the fact that she’s not even human. I hope good things happen to Iko in the end, because she deserves them.

Thorne- He used to annoy me, but now he reminds me of a much funnier, more self-aware version of Gilderoy Lockhart.

Favorite Quotes:

“See? Injustice. Here we are, risking our lives to rescue Kai and this whole planet, and Adri and Pearl get to go to the royal wedding. I’m disgusted. I hope they spill soy sauce on their fancy dresses.”
“Iko. My name is Iko. If you don’t stop calling me the ‘ship,’ I am going to make sure you never have hot water during your showers again, do you understand me?”

“Because the palace walls have been bleeding for years, and no one else sees it.” She shrugged, as if this were a perfectly normal thing to say. “No one believes me, but in some corridors, the blood has gotten so thick there’s nowhere safe to step. When I have to pass through those places, I leave a trail of bloody footprints for the rest of the day, and then I worry that the queen’s soldiers will follow the scent and eat me up while I’m sleeping. Some nights I don’t sleep very well.” Her voice dropped to a haunted whisper, her eyes taking on a brittle luminescence. “But if the blood was real, the servants would clean it up. Don’t you think?”

Overall Thoughts:

The more I let Cress settle in my mind, the more I love it. This book has everything: betrayal, kidnap, torture, tragedy, sabotage, relationships finally coming together, dynamic plot twists that will leave you in shock, and a haunting new character that I can’t wait to see more of in Winter. The last hundred or so pages are gratifyingly filled with explosive and important content and plot development so that it was impossible at that point to put it down. The revolution has truly started, and I’ll be waiting on pins and needles to read the conclusion. The Lunar Chronicles is one of the strongest YA series going into 2014, and Cress was a fulfilling successor to Scarlet.

[KitsuneBae]

I ship all the ships in this series. Can't wait for Winter to come out. Probably, I'll be dead by then.

Cress and Thorne= WIN!

And OMG, Kai and Cinder's reunion almost killed me. It was both funny and sweet, and I just can't stop giggling like a mad woman.

My heart, however, bleeds for Wolf and Scarlet. How could you Marissa?

Guys, this books is huge. At a whopping 505 pages, it gave my arms a workout trying to hold it up. And yet I wanted more. No. I needed more. This series is simply brilliantly done with all it's phenomenal characters and interwoven plot lines. I can't wait for the next book, and yet, the thought of it makes me sad because it's the final book. After Winter, this series ends. I can't handle that guys!

Okay, okay. I'm calming down. *deep breathing* Can't worry about the future now. I just have to revel in the awesomeness that is Cress!

First off, Cress is absolutely adorable and endearing and precious. Not to mention socially awkward. But is that really surprising considering the fact that she's been stuck on a satellite her whole life? She's such a breath of fresh air from the tough girls that are Cinder and Scarlet (I still love them!). But don't think that Cress isn't tough, just tough in a different way. See, all Cress knows about the world is through what she's found on the web. So, Soap operas, books, ect. Let's just say, very unrealistic. She's got all these fantasies about happily ever after's and love at first sight. She's definitely thrown for a loop when reality hits. Yet she deals with it like a champ. And, what I love, is that she doesn't give up on her fantasies. She wants her happily ever after and by golly she's going to get it. While being awkward in the process. Aced it.


It wouldn't be a review of a retelling of Repunzel
without at least 1 Tangled GIF.

Which brings us to the reason for her dreaming.

Carswell Thorne.


Well "Hi" to you too *waggles eyebrows*

*Enter swooning here* Witty, brash, roguish swag topped with a devil-may-care attitude and you have Captain Thorne in a nutshell. His interactions with everyone never failed to bring a smile to my face. His back-and-forth with Cinder and playfulness with Iko always put a big grin on my face. But it was his interactions with Cress that made my heart go a-flutter. Who knew he could be so darn sweet! But their relationship was also humorous because he's so....worldly, and she's so....not. Him saying things and her being all innocent and not understanding was absolutely the sweetest thing. Totally adorable.

And, as usual, all other characters we know and love are just as awesome as ever. We see a lot more of Kai and Cinder. Cinder trying to remain tough and do what's right and Kai, the poor kid, just trying to keep his country safe. That's a lot of weight on his shoulders. Love him. And Iko - the best friend ever. Who knew an android could be so awesome with her fangerling and love of all things gossip? And Doctor Erhland comes back! And his story line? Ugh...the feelings. Just trying to make up for his mistakes. I can get behind that. Unfortunately, Wolf was a bit....mopey. For reasons you'll find out. Understandable, but I also wanted to punch him. And Scarlet! You do you girl. You're tough and we all know it. Spit in the face of danger! Continue to be as fiery as your red hair!

Ohhhhhhhhh and guess what? We get our first glimpse of Winter!!!! Andddddddd......not sure how I feel about her. However, I'm intrigued by her. And she's a part of this series, so she will be awesome.

And yet, what never ceases to amaze me and what is probably the thing that keeps me hooked is Meyer's ability to weave the plots together so well. While series have an overarching story arc, never has a series (that I've read) had multiple books with different "main" characters tie together so seamlessly well. While the main characters from other books are a part of the following books and even have POV's in the book (which I totally love!), the story focuses on the character it was named for while weaving in and connecting the plot of the other characters. Bravo Meyers.


They approve. And so do I.

Originally found on my blog Oh, For the Love of Books!